Rep. Pete Sessions

Maddy summaryHR 4148 disapproves a Department of Labor regulation (88 Fed. Reg. 57526) that would have updated wage requirements under the Davis-Bacon Act for federal construction projects. The bill states this regulation "shall have no force or effect," preventing federal contractors from being subject to the proposed changes. This is a procedural measure targeting a specific regulatory update, directly affecting contractors working on federally funded construction projects.

Maddy summaryHR 4092, the Protect RAIL Act, amends U.S. immigration law to make certain crimes involving stolen goods transported by carriers (like trains, trucks, or ships) grounds for denying entry or deporting non-citizens. It adds new inadmissibility and deportability provisions for anyone convicted of theft from interstate or foreign shipments under Title 18, Section 659 of the U.S. Code. The bill directly affects non-citizens who commit these specific theft offenses, making them ineligible to enter the U.S. or subject to removal. This changes immigration consequences for existing criminal offenses, not the crimes themselves.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends the definition of "accredited investor" under securities law to expand eligibility for certain investment opportunities. It creates new categories for qualified professionals, including licensed brokers or investment advisers in good standing, and individuals with verified expertise in specific investments. The bill also updates the net worth threshold to $1 million (adjusted for inflation every 5 years) while excluding primary residences from asset calculations. This directly affects individual investors seeking to qualify for private investment offerings under current securities regulations. The changes require the Securities and Exchange Commission to revise related rules within 180 days of enactment.

Maddy summaryHR 3381, the Encouraging Public Offerings Act of 2025, allows any company planning an initial public offering (IPO), follow-on offering, or initial securities listing to confidentially submit draft registration statements to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for staff review before public filing. The bill removes the previous restriction that limited this confidential review process to "emerging growth companies" and expands it to all issuers. Companies must publicly file the draft and any amendments within specific deadlines: 10 days before an IPO's effective date, 10 days before a securities listing, or 48 hours before a follow-on offering's effective date. This change directly affects businesses preparing to go public by providing a more flexible pre-filing review process.

Maddy summaryHR 1713, the Agricultural Risk Review Act of 2025, requires the Secretary of Agriculture to join the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (CFIUS) when reviewing transactions involving U.S. agricultural land, biotechnology, or agriculture-related infrastructure (like transportation or processing). It specifically targets acquisitions of agricultural land by foreign entities from China, North Korea, Russia, or Iran, mandating that the Secretary of Agriculture first assesses these transactions before CFIUS decides whether to proceed with a full review. The law includes a sunset provision, ending these requirements for a specific country once it is removed from the federal list of foreign adversaries.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits transplant centers and healthcare providers from denying organ transplants or related services solely based on a patient's disability. It requires covered entities to make reasonable modifications to policies (like considering a patient's support network or using communication aids) and to avoid denying care due to lack of auxiliary aids. The law applies to all transplant stages - including evaluation, listing, and post-transplant care - and explicitly states it complements, rather than replaces, existing disability rights laws like the ADA. It allows medical considerations only if a physician determines a disability is medically significant to the transplant, after individual evaluation.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to expand eligibility for certain capital access provisions. It directly affects rural-area small businesses by adding them to existing categories that qualify for streamlined capital-raising mechanisms previously limited to women-owned small businesses. The key change inserts "rural-area small businesses" into two specific sections of the law (paragraphs 4(j)(4)(C) and 4(j)(6)(B)(iii)), updating the rules for who can access these capital channels. This provides a concrete policy change by formally including rural small businesses in current regulatory frameworks designed to help small business owners raise capital. The bill does not create new funding programs but adjusts existing eligibility criteria under federal securities law.

Maddy summaryHR 3230 raises asset thresholds for certain financial regulations, directly affecting mid-sized banks with assets between $10 billion and $50 billion. The bill increases the $10 billion asset limit to $50 billion for several key regulations, including Consumer Financial Protection Bureau supervision, Volcker Rule restrictions, Qualified Mortgage requirements, and leverage/risk-based capital rules. This change would exempt larger banks (those with $50 billion or more in assets) from these specific regulations, while smaller banks remain subject to the rules. The bill modifies existing provisions without creating new requirements, solely adjusting the asset-based triggers for regulatory applicability.

Maddy summaryThe FIRM Act (HR 2702) prohibits federal banking agencies from considering "reputational risk" in supervising banks and credit unions. It requires agencies to remove all references to reputational risk - defined as concerns about negative publicity affecting an institution's reputation - from regulations, examinations, and enforcement actions. The bill directly affects depository institutions (banks and credit unions) and federal regulators like the FDIC and CFPB, banning them from using reputational risk as a basis for supervision or enforcement. This policy change aims to limit regulatory actions based on subjective public opinion rather than financial safety and soundness.

Maddy summaryHR 3824, the Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act of 2025, removes a requirement for permits under the Clean Water Act for discharges of authorized pesticides into navigable waters. It amends the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Clean Water Act to state that EPA or states cannot mandate a permit for pesticide discharges resulting from legally authorized applications. The bill specifically exempts discharges from violations of pesticide law, stormwater, industrial manufacturing effluent, treatment works, and vessel operations. This directly affects pesticide users (like farmers) and regulatory agencies by eliminating a permitting step for routine pesticide applications already approved under FIFRA.